Canadian composer Robert Humber is prolific, releasing two albums in 2025. Into Air, his first offering for 2026, is an ambitious collection of pieces written from 2020-2022 for overdubbed solo instruments. Humber’s work involves repetition as a grounding principle, with a fascination for playing with texture serving as a refreshing element.
The title track is played by violinist Adrian Levine. Cast in three movements, it features overlapping ostinatos that first undulate, then gallop through a triadic harmonic palette. In the middle of the piece, there is a fetching passage for hocketing glissandos that softens its edges. The presence of reverb, here as elsewhere, gives the acoustic instruments an outsized character, as if…